Arthur: A personalized instructional system

PERSONALIZED INSTRUCTION can be defined as instruction that is tailored to the learner’s learning style. Arthur (Gilbert & Han, 1999) is an adaptive instructional system that provides personalized instruction to each learner. Arthur has been used in two research experiments, and the findings of those experiments are reported here. The focus of the experiments was to find a significant difference in learner outcomes. As Russell (1999) has discovered, numerous implementations of instruction using technology have not provided a significant difference in learner outcomes. In Russell’s observations, the distribution of learner outcomes was normal. In this study, a significant difference will be observed when the distribution of learner outcomes is skewed with the majority of learners on the high end of the distribution. Arthur delivers a significant difference in learner outcomes by adapting instructional methods within lessons.